Samuel Colt – Flamboyant Tinkerer

By Suzanne Norquist

Samuel Colt (1814-1862) was known for designing and manufacturing the first revolvers in the United States. His cost-effective process enabled regular people, such as settlers and miners, to own this state-of-the-art gun. The brand and his name are synonymous with firearms today.

He didn’t set out to transform the weapons industry. He was just a kid who liked explosions and fireworks. Science fascinated him, and he asked questions of chemists and mechanics. In addition, he was a natural showman. This combination sometimes got him into trouble, but ultimately, it allowed him to succeed.

As a pre-teen, he worked on a farm while attending school. On Sundays, he was allowed to read a science encyclopedia. Among other things, it contained articles about gunpowder and about inventors who did the impossible. Both fascinated him.

Later, as a teen, he worked at his father’s textile plant. There, he had access to tools, chemicals, and the workers’ knowledge—the perfect environment for a curious mind. One Fourth of July, he put his ideas to use and set off an underwater explosion to entertain the town.

Soon after, his father sent him to boarding school. There, he amused his friends with unsanctioned fireworks displays. One caused a fire, which ended his formal education.

His next job as a teen (in 1829) was as a deckhand on a ship to India. Perhaps his father thought the adventure would keep him out of trouble. While laboring, he watched the things around him and considered what he could invent, particularly related to firearms or explosives.

At the time, most pistols could only make one shot before reloading. People had tried different ideas to allow consecutive shots. The pepperbox pistol had multiple barrels. First-generation revolvers included cylinders that were difficult to align.

Colt modeled a cylinder based on a ship’s capstan, a rotating machine with long bars. Men would push the bars to turn the wheel to wind up rope. It could spin or be locked in position. Colt fashioned a prototype of his design from wood as he sailed.

He obtained a U.S. patent in 1836 and borrowed money to build a couple of guns but had limited success. When he needed more money, he hit the road for a couple of years as a traveling medicine man. Calling himself Dr. Coult, he peddled nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Audiences loved his flair for showmanship, and he earned the money he needed to produce his invention.

With the help of trained gunsmiths and engineers, he built a factory to manufacture the first version of the gun. They designed molds to produce interchangeable parts. His plant used an assembly line, unusual for the time. This kept costs down.

He had some success, but eventually shut down the factory and looked into other inventions, like underwater explosives. For a time, he partnered with Samuel Morse to build an underwater telegraph line.

Several years later, in 1846, the government ordered 1,000 pistols for the Mexican-American War. They had heard about the usefulness of the revolvers from the Texas Rangers who had purchased them earlier.

Colt had to hustle to get a new factory up and running. He wouldn’t miss out on that sale. In the process, he made improvements requested by Captain Walker of the U.S. Army.

Add Colt’s dramatic flair for sales to the endorsement of the U.S. government, and an iconic brand was born. He gifted revolvers to heads of state and celebrities in grand gestures. He commissioned artists to create paintings that prominently featured his product. Hired authors wrote stories for magazines that included his guns.

In 1862, he passed away from complications of gout at the age of 47, leaving the Colt empire to his widow.

Today, the Colt name is synonymous with firearms. However, Samuel Colt was more of a flamboyant tinkerer who liked to make things go BOOM.

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Love In Bloom 4-in-one collection

by Mary Davis (Author), Kathleen E Kovach (Author), Suzanne Norquist (Author)

Holly & Ivy

At Christmastime, a young woman accompanies her impetuous younger sister on her trip across the country to be a mail-order bride and loses her heart to a gallant stranger.

Periwinkle in the Park

A female hiking guide, who is helping to commission a national park, runs into conflict with a mountain man determined to keep the government off his land.

A Song for Rose

Can a disillusioned tenor convince an aspiring soprano that there is more to music than fame?

Beauty in a Tansy?

Two adjacent store owners are drawn to each other, but their older relatives provide obstacles to their ever becoming close.

Republished from Bouquet of Brides

Buy links: https://books2read.com/u/bOOx8K

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Bloom-Mary-Davis/dp/B0FPLFYCXR/

 

Suzanne Norquist is the author of two novellas. Everything fascinates her. She has worked as a chemist, professor, financial analyst, and even earned a doctorate in economics. Research feeds her curiosity, and she shares the adventure with her readers. She lives in New Mexico with her mining engineer husband and has two grown children. When not writing, she explores the mountains, hikes, and attends kickboxing class.